We Might Have Figured Out INSIDE’s Entire Backstory

There’s a lot to take in with Playdead’s new masterpiece INSIDE and frankly there’s a lot that’s left to the imagination as well. But we just might have a theory as to what exactly went on in this world.

It’s quite a walk along our fictional timeline so stick with us us here.

(Warning: Massive Spoilers for INSIDE)

Emergence of the Mindworms

Early in the game its established that there are these worms that can take over a host’s body and make it become hostile. When you reach the Farmlands section of the game it is shown that these “Mindworms” have infested various poultry and livestock as evidenced by the pig that chases you down. It is also established in the same Pig section that when you take out these worms, the host reverts back into its normal form devoid of thought. This effectively turns its host into a Husk.

Mindworm-Infested Food Products Make Their Way to the Populace

Unaware that these Mindworms are present in their food, the people of this world go about consuming and ingesting them in their daily routine. This turns everyone who ate the tainted food hostile and aggresive and creates a scenario not unlike those found in the standard Zombie Apocalypse genre.

The World War Against the Z’s

Humans fight the hostile zombies for an indeterminate amount of time until they are able to figure out that the cause of their behaviour are the Mindworms. They develop a way to neutralize the Worms in the zombies and by doing so revert the infected humans into soulless husks devoid of their consciousness and personality, much like the pig that tries to chase you near the beginning of the game.

This also explains the Masks that the people near the start of the game wear. It helps differentiate normal people from zombies.

The Humans Prevail and The Advent of Consumer Husks

The Humans emerge victorious and start society anew. In the hopes of aiding the rebuilding process, the Humans find a way to control the Husks with the development of the Brain Helmet seen in the game. The Humans eventually turn the whole process of collecting Husks and selling them as Automatized Slaves into a huge business opportunity.

As Humans do.

They construct robots that neutralize unprocessed husks while preserving their body.

And they use the Husks to help in all manner of construction and daily tasks.

The Need For More Advanced Husks Arise

It becomes evident that the Husks are in definite need of an upgrade as they do have some limitations, one of which being the ability to function underwater.

The Scientists open Section 3 of the Facility in the hopes of upgrading the Husks to live and work underwater. Due to the motion of swimming being a complex human ability, the Scientists infuse the Husks with a form of Advanced Thought and Sensory protocols as well as genetic enhancements to allow more advanced movements.

The Mermaid Husk Is Born.

This proves to be a mistake however as the Mermaids eventualy become self aware and take over Section 3 of the Facility, running amok and forcing the Scientists to abandon the section altogether. That is why Section 3 appears dilapited and destroyed. The Scientists occasionally dive back in in the hopes of salvaging lost equipment using tiny submersibles but the Mermaids offer much resistance.

Section 4 Is Created

After the failure of Section 3, the Humans create Section 4 of the facility which seeks to continue the work of of its predecessor. This time they enact various failsafes and contigencies to prevent another catastrophy. They develop Anti-Gravity Water Chambers that control the source of water so that in case an experiment escapes, it will be much easier to deal with and contain than in open water.

Sector 4 also seems to show us that the Humans no longer use standard husks in their research but instead grow them organically using genetic techonology. They also use appear to use some form of modfied Mindworms in this phase which allows the finished product to be controlled without the use of a Brain Helmet.

New applications of their Psychic Research emerge.

Nothing is ever an exact science. Some of the greatest scientific discoveries in history were made in the pursuit of another completely different goal. Such may also be the case here. In the pursuit of making better Husks, the Humans stumble upon the ability to impart powerful psychic abilities into a creature/being. Whether this “thing” is what is at the center of the Blob at the end of the game or is the Blob itself is entirely undeterminable at this time.

Whatever the case maybe, the Humans may have been toying around creating a central Hivemind for the Husks. The Hivemind may have become self-aware and developed cognitive and psychic abilities of its own.

If you subscribe to the theory that the Boy is actually being psychically called by the Blob to free it, then this may lend credence to that. And that is where INSIDE starts, with the Boy making its way to the Blob.

Final thoughts

In this narrative I find it interesting that the Humans, having averted global extinction already once before, end up creating new horrors that threaten their existence. It functions as an incredibly powerful commentary on society and our insatiable thirst of knowledge and power ultimately being our own undoing.

Let us know what you think of this theory, if you have something to add or if we missed something on the comments below!

Raffy Leynes is a geek of all trades (master of fun).He loves videogames, comicbooks, movies, cartoons, wrestling, science and art. Lately, he’s been liking his geekery with a dash of “Indie”. He doesn’t know what the f*ck musings are but he is told he does them on his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.